I haven't written recently because there's been a dark cloud of anxiety over the house for several days.
The patient advocate at SNHMC had said once you've survived cancer you start to worry that any little sign is an indication of something that “could be cancer”. In this case Michelle didn't notice anything. It was her oncologist at one of her regular followup meetings who noticed a tiny lump adjacent to the mastectomy scar.
This caused a lot of investigation to make sure it was just scar tissue. Ultrasounds, needle biopsy, and PET scans. And as often happens, the waiting drives you insane. I hardly slept Friday night.
Today was the day I wanted and dreaded: the followup consultation with the oncologist.
The bad news is that it is malignant. The good news is that it is early and very localized. The treatment is going to start very soon and isn't as drastic as what occurred almost two years ago.
It's not ideal. We certainly would have preferred a result of “it's just scar tissue”. But I have hope because Michelle has a great oncologist and I know what a tough woman Michelle is. She caught it very early trying to stage a comeback and we're going after it, like Jingle going out on his morning hunt to root out small vermin on our property.
Nevertheless all prayers are appreciated. Cancer is always serious business and never to be taken lightly. Pray that the treatment has minimum side effects on overall health but is effective at eliminating any cancer cells still trying to establish themselves.